Women for Women
by WolfWinks
Summary: A collection of femslash pairings (the title may still change). [1] Narcissa/Lily
1. NarcissaLily

**Title:** The Language  
 **Summary:** Lily has tried to speak the language, but she just can't get the hang of it. **  
Pairing/Characters:** Narcissa/Lily **  
Rating:** K  
 **Warnings** : N/A **  
Notes:** N/A

* * *

The table was petite. It had a slim red ribbon wrapped around the delicate legs and the glass tabletop shone in the soft sunlight. Lily stared at the table; not bothering to look at the menu knowing it was all going to be written in French.

"Bonjour, puis- je prendre votre commande?"

Lily turned her head and gazed at the bubbly waitress with a blank expression. "I'm sorry. . . um. . . I. . ."

"Pas encore."

The waitress walked away in a huff, and Lily turned to face Narcissa with a smile. "Thanks," she said.

Narcissa sniffed, but the tilt of her lips showed she was amused. "You should really learn the language."

Lily pouted. "I'm trying, but I struggle with the pronunciation."

Narcissa let a real smile through this time. "I know," she said. "It's offensive when you try to speak the language."

"Hey," Lily said, crossing her arms across her chest. "I'm not that bad."

Raising an eyebrow, Narcissa lowered herself into the chair next to Lily. She touched a small hand onto Lily's arm. "I know," she said with soft eyes.

Lily uncrossed her arms, picked up Narcissa's hand and pressed her lips against the soft skin. She smiled against the lips and looked up at Narcissa through her eyelashes.

Narcissa's pale cheeks darkened, and she smiled at Lily. "What would you like for lunch? I'll order for us both."

Lily pulled back, refusing to let go of Narcissa's hand. "Surprise me," she said. "I trust you."

Narcissa blushed again. "Okay." She raised her hand and waved over the waitress who glared at her. She barely noticed, still gazing at the woman beside her. "I love you," Narcissa said, unable to hold it back.

Lily smiled and kissed Narcissa's hand again. "I love you too."

* * *

(w.c 300)

WolfWinks-xx-


	2. HermioneLuna

**Title:** Mistakes and Apologies  
 **Summary:** Hermione never wants to hurt her love, even with her words. **  
Pairing/Characters:** Hermione/Luna **  
Rating:** K  
 **Warnings** : N/A **  
Notes:** N/A

* * *

The Room of Requirement knew exactly how she was feeling. The walls were cold dark stone, and the floor was covered in thick timber. There was one small leather couch and a deep red rug in the centre of the room. It could have been cosy, but with the full moon the only light, it looked like a scene from a horror movie.

"How could you?" Hermione paced in front of the couch, not looking at the girl behind her.

"Hermione, it's not—"

"You were practically kissing him!" Hermione turned around so fast she almost fell over. "You were leaning so close that I couldn't see any space between you." She stalked towards Luna, but when she was a metre away, she stopped. "And you've been disappearing lately."

"I know, but—"

"But what? It wasn't real? Oh, I get it." Hermione's voice became thoughtful, and her eyes lifted. "If we pretend it never happened, then it didn't happen, right? Everything will be good again if we just _pretend_ ," Hermione said sarcastically, sneering out the last word. She shook her head and moved away, not seeing Luna's devastated face.

Luna lowered her eyes to the ground and forced her dreamy mask on her face. To hear Hermione use sarcasm the same way the other Ravenclaw girls did made her eyes prickle and her body ache. "Pretend is only real for a while. I should know that by now."

The moment Hermione heard those words she knew she'd made a mistake. Looking up, she saw Luna's face for a brief moment before she turned and left the room. Hermione felt her heart splinter.

* * *

When Hermione arrived back in the dorm room it was dark and silent. Everyone was in bed asleep, or at least on their way to sleep.

Hermione made sure to keep her footsteps light and gentle to prevent anyone waking up. Despite her best efforts, Harry was standing outside his dorm room waiting for her with a bright smile. "Do you know?" he asked.

Hermione turned her eyes to the ground. She wanted to sneer—it wasn't just Luna that betrayed her—but she was too emotionally drained, so she just nodded.

"Great. Are you excited?"

"Excited?" she murmured, looking back up at Harry.

"Yeah, about the book fair in London. Luna wouldn't want you to know, but even with my help it took a lot of work to plan the trip."

"Thank you," Hermione said to Harry, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.

Harry frowned, but Hermione was already up the stairs. She reached for the two-way parchment and stared at the blank page for a moment. When she did write, it was just five simple words.

 _I'm an idiot._

 _Forgive me?_

Hermione stared at the parchment all night, waiting for a reply. She didn't get one until morning, but the response made her smile.

 _Always._

* * *

(w.c 483)

WolfWinks-xx-


	3. GinnyFleur

**Title:** Not Jealous  
 **Summary:** Ginny is not jealous, she isn't. **  
Pairing/Characters:** Ginny/Fleur **  
Rating:** K  
 **Warnings** : N/A **  
Notes:** N/A

* * *

Ginny stared at the fire and watched the way the sparks danced. She stared at the fire so she would not be forced to stare at the disgusting display happening behind her.

"It's been a while."

Ginny's foot started to tap as her brother's voice drifted towards her.

"It has," Fleur's accented voice said in response. Her flat tone almost made Ginny smile. Almost.

"We should really meet up again," Bill said.

Tap.

"Maybe over coffee?"

Tap. Tap.

"We could even go to dinner and see a show."

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"What do you say? Start with coffee and see where the ay takes us?"

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap.

"I don't think so, Bill."

Ginny's foot stilled so she could hear the words clearer.

"I think you are an amazing guy, but you're not who I'm looking for."

Ginny could almost see her older brother's pout. Bill was a good guy, really, he was, but there were some aspects of his life that he could improve on, say, his maturity.

"How would you know without going out with me?" he asked, his voice almost at a whine. Ginny rolled her eyes. She continued to stare at the fire—that was dwindling into embers—and pointedly didn't look over her shoulder.

"You have to wrong equipment."

Ginny almost laughed at the dry tone Fleur used. There was silence for a minute, then two. It took almost four whole minutes before Bill could speak again. _If you could call the stuttering mess talking._

Fleur raised her voice, interrupting Bill in his babbling. "I'm going to leave now, I am sorry, Bill."

Ginny could hear the footsteps, and she purposely relaxed her shoulders and facial features. She didn't want Fleur to think she was anything but relaxed, even if all her muscles were locked and tight.

"Were you jealous," Fleur said, leaning over to whisper in Ginny's ear.

Ginny shivered, but she shook her head. "Of course not," she said, knowing that neither of them believed her words. "I know you're not interesting in him."

"No," Fleur whispered, pressing her thumbs into the tight muscles of Ginny's back. "I'm only interested in one Weasley, and thankfully she has the right equipment."

* * *

(w.c 365)

WolfWinks-xx-


	4. AliceLily

**Title:** Echoes of Fear  
 **Summary:** Alice always sits as far away from the fireplace as possible. **  
Pairing/Characters:** Alice/Lily **  
Rating:** T  
 **Warnings** : Violence, mentions of past paedophilia (without there actually being any) **  
Notes:** Written for Charms #5: Write about someone who's scared of fire, and how they became scared.

* * *

She first noticed it in fourth year. The snow outside was falling in heavy sleets, and there was ice forming over the windows. Despite this, Alice was huddled in a dark corner, far away from the fireplace. She had her arms wrapped around her body, a large woollen jumper with a matching scarf and a book in her lap she wasn't actually reading. Shivers would rack her frame at random intervals, and she would send longing glances towards the large group—the majority of Gryffindor house—sitting on the couches awash with the warm orange glow.

Lily couldn't help herself.

Standing, ignoring the call from James, she approached Alice and settled herself into the free chair next to her. All the warmth from the fire seemed to seep out of her in an instant, and Lily was left wishing for a jumper just like Alice's.

"What are you doing?"Alice asked, not unkindly, but still with a small frown and another glance towards the group around the fire.

"I'm wondering what you're doing all by yourself in this cold corner." Lily's eyebrows rose at the small blush that formed over Alice's cheeks.

"I prefer it here," Alice said without conviction.

Lily stared at her for a long moment, long enough to make Alice fidget, but not long enough to make her admit her lie. Eventually, when another shiver ran through her frame, and Lily could feel her fingers starting to freeze, she shrugged. "Whatever works for you, I guess." Lily stood up and smiled at Alice. "I'm going to bed, it's almost curfew."

Recognising the offer, Alice gratefully smiled. "Sure."

They chatted as they walked up the stairs, but Lily's mind was occupied by the brief shudder that ran through Alice's body as they walked past the fire. Lily suspected that it had nothing to do with the cold this time.

* * *

The next day Alice was startled when a body planted itself next to her in her cold corner. "Lily? What are you doing?"

Lily smiled and opened up the Charms textbook. "I'm joining you."

Alice focused on her friend and found her rugged up as heavily as Alice normally was. Her jumper wasn't a warm, but she was wearing at least two other shirts underneath, and she had her Gryffindor scarf wrapped around her neck.

"You don't have to," Alice said but even she could hear how artificial her words sounded.

"I know," Lily said, smiling, "but I want to."

Lily turned back to her book, occasionally rubbing her hands together to keep them warm, and Alice watched her. It didn't take long for a smile to form on Alice's face. It was nice to have some company in the evenings.

* * *

They fell into a routine from them on. Some nights they would read in silent or study. Other nights they would play chess together. Alice enjoyed spending the evenings with Lily. She was calm and always smiling and she never asked any questions, despite—Alice was almost sure of it—knowing of Alice's fear.

Lily, on the other hand, always felt a warm glow when Alice smiled at her during their evenings together. She loved the soft tone Alice would use and the way her fingers ran down the page as she read the words. She loved the soft laughter when Alice lost in chess over and over again, and the way Alice would pick up a chess piece with only two fingers and never any more.

Lily found herself watching Alice more and more as they days moved forward, and when Lily chose to sit just a little bit close to the fireplace, she was so proud to see Alice sit with her even if she hesitated at first. It made Lily feel like she was special in some way to Alice. That she was more important than a fear that has been around for a long time. It was nice to feel special.

* * *

"I use to have an Uncle Keith."

Lily looked up from the chess piece at Alice's words. Alice's eyes were studying the chess board, but her right hand was tugging on her long hair, so Lily knew she was nervous. She lowered her gaze back to the chess board and made her move before answering.

"Use to?" she asked, and then winced at the insensitive question. Her uncle was probably dead.

"Yeah." Alice didn't seem disturbed by the question in anyway, so Lily let go of the breath she was holding. "He's dead now."

"I'm so—"

"Don't be."

Lily looked up again to see Alice's hand tugging on her air harder. Lily reached out and pried the hair out of Alice's fingers, liking them with her own instead. "What do you mean?"

Alice seemed to take a deep breath before she looked Lily dead in the eyes. "He tried to kill me, so my father killed him."

Lily's mouth fell open, but she didn't utter a sound. There was an ache that echoed all through her body at the thought of Alice dying. Her hand was being squeezed to death, but Lily found the physical ache a comfort.

"He came over one day to babysit when I was eight. He waved goodbye to my parents with a large smile and a relaxed wave, and then he turned to me. 'We're going to have a good time, aren't we,' he said to me." Alice's voice broke, and she shook her head. This time it was Lily squeezing their hands.

"He was really good for almost the whole night. He gave me a nice dinner and played with me. He even read me a story by the fire, but when I jumped off his lap to go to bed, he stopped me. He looked me in the eye and said that now he'd done so much for me, I had to re. . . replay him."

Lily moved around the chess board and sat next to Alice when she heard her voice break for the second time. Lily wrapped an arm around Alice's shoulders and pulled her close. "You don't have to tell me." _I think I know where this is going, anyway._

"No, I do. I. . . I want to."

"Okay." Lily tightened her arms around Alice. "Okay, if you're sure."

Alice nodded, but she didn't speak for a few minutes. She took a few deep breaths and shook her head slightly, and when she did start to speak, her voice was small.

"I told him that wasn't how it worked." Alice paused to chuckle. "I was enjoying saying that phrase for some reason. I think I read it in a book." It didn't take long for the chuckles to die out and tremor to run through Alice's frame. "His eyes darkened, and I'll always remember the way his mouth twisted. I became frightened, and he tried to convince me again, but I refused. That's when he slapped me."

Lily suppressed her rage at hearing about such violence being committed against an eight year old, and she knew that a slap was the least of Alice's problems at the time. Lily wasn't sure if she wanted to cry or hit someone.

"That was when everything happened at once. Our front door opened and my parents walked in, I fell to the ground and my left side fell into the fire, and my uncle growled something. I'm not sure what the words were, but there were bad enough to make my dad mad enough to kill."

Alice rubbed a rough hand over her left arm, pulling the skin in every direction, but Lily pulled her hand away and started tracing patterns on the arm instead.

"My whole world exploded in pain, and I think I blacked out for a moment because the next thing I knew, I was lying on damp carpet with my mother hovering over me waving her wand in every way, and my father pacing to the side. The orange glow of the flickering fire covered everything."

Lily closed her eyes when Alice finished. She couldn't believe the awful experience, and it hurt her that Alice had to suffer through something so horrific. It wasn't fair. Lily pressed her lips against Alice's head in a gentle kiss.

"That's why I'm afraid of fire," Alice said after a while. "I can't stand the heat, and the sight of the flickering over everything nearby only brings back bad memories."

"I'm sorry," Lily choked out. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all that, and I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable by sitting a little closer to the fire every day, and I'm sorry that—"

Alice waved her hand in front of Lily's face. "You're rambling," she said with a slight tilt to her lips that wasn't quite a smile. "You have nothing to apologise for anyway." Alice glanced to the fireplace which was still emitting a warm glow even though it was starting to die down. "In fact, I think you've helped me a lot."

"Helped? How?"

Alice leaned heavily against Lily's body and nuzzled her neck. "I haven't been this close, voluntarily, to a fire since that day, and I'm not afraid."

Lily felt herself smile, though it wasn't her usual bright one. "That's wonderful," she said.

"It is." Alice moved her head so she was looking at Lily. "Maybe I just need to make some good memories that I can relate to the fire." Alice's eyes glanced at the fire, and she buried against Lily again. "But not yet," she said.

Lily held Alice close and rubbed a hand along the left side of Alice's body. "Whenever you're ready," she promised," and not a moment sooner."

* * *

(w.c 1,620)

WolfWinks-xx-


End file.
